0188

Sabastian stood silently at the window watching the
white caps flutter across the water for a few minutes
before Mary, who was still sitting in her chair, said,
"You don't like Mina, do you?"

"It would be more appropriate to say I do not care
about her."

"I know her first challenge to our presence was, well,
a bit much."

"By a bit much, do you mean an attempt to intimidate
us?" Sabastian asked.

"We intruded into her territory, she had every right
to confront us," Mary countered.

"I do not dispute that, I simply do not appreciate the
way in which she chose to do it," Sabastian said,
turning to face Mary.

"In any event,” Mary said, “she's sorry and wants to
get to know us. All of us. Susan and Sol, you, me.
She's extending an olive branch."

"That is kind of her, however, as I have said before,
I would prefer to avoid our kind at the moment."

"You're being overly cautious," she said.

"Perhaps. I will not stop you and Sol from doing as
you wish, so long as I do not believe you are a danger
to Susan."

"Is she all that's important to you?"

"Yes."

"What about your life?"

"I am cursed with immortality, there is plenty of time
for me to be selfish. At the moment, however, I
intend to see Susan grow up and, if she will allow it,
old."

"Well, Mina's offer stands regardless. I just hope
Sol isn't as rude as you are about the whole thing,"
Mary said with a hint of anger in her voice.

"I suppose you will have to speak with him to know
that," Sabastian said, turning to the window again.

He stood silently for a long time listening to Mary
page through her magazine. She was making far more
noise then necessary turning the pages.

Sabastian focused very hard on her thoughts. It was
obvious she was angry, anyone could tell that, but he
wondered how much more he could tell if he really
focused. He had never really tried to delve into
another’s mind before. He closed his eyes.

He could see her sitting behind him, she was angry,
but that was just a surface emotion. It was as if
there was another Mary wrapped up inside of this one,
trapped inside an automaton. He probed deeper,
looking inside the anger, when images and memories of
the souls within him flooded his mind. His eyes shot
open.

He closed them again and the images were gone. He
opened his eyes, wondering what had happened. Closing
his eyes again, he again tried to probe Mary's mind.

As he reached about the same level as the first time,
the images flooded back. He opened his eyes and
focused outward. He saw Susan being put to sleep by
Sol, Mary sitting behind him angrily turning pages,
and outside the house, there was another.

The other was shielded, but Sabastian could still see
the other’s presence, if only faintly. "Pardon me a
moment," he said to Mary, as he walked out of the
room.

"Sure," she said after him, not even looking up from
her magazine.

As he stepped onto the porch, a car slowly pulled away
from the edge of the driveway, which was about a
quarter of a mile away near the main road.

[Copyright Reuben Gregg Brewer, 2005, 2006. All rights
reserved.]